Second Misfortune

Tooka was the first to react.

“Renzhar, why you…”

“Tooko...please…” cried the old man.

Before Renzhar could say anything, Tooko had already left Madego and bashed her guild companion with the shield. The Warrior was pushed against the building's wall. His armor protected him from serious damage, but not from Tooko’s abnormal strength.

I covered Madego with my body the best I could, while keeping all my focus on the battle before me. The white rabbit was no longer visible—not that I cared at that moment.

“How could you, Renzhar?! And to the other guild?! What the hell crossed your mind? Oh, for Taam! What have you done, and to Dabimen of all people!” Tooko kept pushing Renzhar against the wall, without leaving him a chance to strike or talk back.

Finally, let go of his broadsword.

And just as the sword's metallic clang echoed off the floor, Tooko and Renzhar’s chests were struck by a blue lightning bolt.

Dabimen stood up calmly before the mortally wounded Warriors.

“Thank you, Tooko. You are always where you are needed. I couldn’t kill a Cataphract such as Renzhar in my current state. I recruited you both, after all.”

Only blood came out of their mouths.

I can’t deal with this. I can’t deal with this world anymore. Mom, sis, I need you. Please God, wake me up from this nightmare.

“No need to be scared, my dears. Lucky me! I was coming for you after this, and here you are, on your own volition! Old man’s luck.”

“I don’t care who you are, or from what Guild, but get away from us or I’ll kill you.”

No, I’m not convinced by my own words. And he knows it.

“I’m sorry, girl. I have nothing against you or your native friend. Simply put, you are marked. Oh, and you are a witness here. You have bad luck in life, huh?”

Please God, let it be a nightmare.

A group of Red Army soldiers in bad shape appeared from inside the medical building. They carried the eight comatose women we saved a few days ago. Then everything was clear.

I won’t be a sacrifice.

“No, you have the misfortune of having met me.”

With my remaining energy, and with a small axe in one hand and a heavy yet powerful dagger in the other, I charged at the old man. He didn’t expect such a crazy reaction from a girl who was frozen in place a second ago. Even worse, his automatic reaction was to cast a new blue beam that went through my shoulder.

While I was losing consciousness, I saw Dabimen's pale face.

You won’t get the prey alive.

* * *

No matter where I go, no matter the world, everything I do is futile. If I tried to live a peaceful life, forgotten by the rest, society finds a way to remind me of my failures. If I’m transported to another world, I end up being killed in a few days for whatever reason.

Maybe this was for the best. Yes, I managed to survive the attack of a creepy snake, but for what? It’s not a common day occurrence to be used as a sacrifice for a reptile in the first place. I was in the middle of a war, powerless.

If it had been within my means, I would have helped the other kidnapped women. I would have saved Madego, Tooko, and everyone. I have never been generous, but neither have I been selfish. It didn’t matter anyway. If…

That’s the keyword: “If”.

Could I have found a way to return to my world? Maybe, maybe not. I regretted not appreciating my family a little bit more. Probably they missed me, even a person like me, with a surly attitude. I should have been a better daughter and sister.

At a distance appeared a woman. It was me, yet it wasn’t. I mean, it was the me before this new world. I recognized my blond hair—only I could have such messy hair. Me—or my body?—was silent, with the back turned to me.

A presence lurked in the limbo. It wasn’t visible, but I knew it.

What a way to die. I prefer this purgatory rather than watching my life pass me by. Not many fond memories to watch.

“This is so sad, you know? We can hear your thoughts. We are in your mind, you know?”

It was the damn White Rabbit.

“If you can talk, you should have done it sooner. In any case, you shouldn’t put your hopes in random people and expect that they will live up to your expectations?”

“What a nasty woman you are, you know? It’s not that you were our first option.”

Curiosity began to annoy me.

“Oh, is that so? So who was your first, then, Rabbit?”

“I think you know.” The damn rat smiled at me. “The only other person with you that night, you know?”

Joan.

I laughed out loud.

“Even in death, I will have no peace. I thought this was purgatory, but it seems I already reached Hell, you know?”

“Death? You are on your mind, you know? You are still alive, yet barely, you know?”

The lurking presence grew as my annoyance increased.

“So I’ll have to live, to be killed again, and then what? What do you want from me? What do everybody want from me?

The White Rabbit paused for a moment, which only infuriated me more.

“What do you want from yourself? It’s not like we forced you to anything, you know?”

“Yes, I know.”

Lectured by a squirrel. This is truly Hell. Not even the chance to laugh at my own disgrace.

The White Rabbit took out a pocket watch.

“No, not even a second. You are already late, you know?”

I’m what?

My body began to ache internally. I felt pressure coming from my veins. But before I could complain, I felt it again.

The power.

“Good-bye, Alicia! We can’t talk like this when you are awake, but you need to find us! We have a task for you, you know?”

Clearly, I don’t know.

I felt as if I were thrown into a void, but I wasn’t scared.

Power. Raw power was on my side again.

* * *

I woke up in the middle of the Heirs’ death bodies. Kalandra's screams could be heard in the distance. Astonished, Dabimen and the Red Army fellows backed away a few meters. One of them also screamed:

“No! It can’t be! Master Dabimen, an Asura, a Revenger! She’s back from the dead to punish us all.”

“Shut up, peasant! Take the women away while I take care of the girl.”

A small axe crossed the air, killing one of the red soldiers.

“Oh boy, no, you won’t.”